Attributional Retraining: Assisting High-Stress Student Athletes in an Achievement Setting

• In Event: 42.083 - Roundtable Session 17
  In Roundtable Session: 42.083-21 - Promising Programs and Practices to Support College Athlete Development

Abstract

Student athletes often face various challenges that can negatively impact their academic learning experiences (Comeaux, 2011; Papanikolaou et al., 2003). Athletes who perceive these experiences as highly stressful may experience difficulty in managing their academic environments. Our 8-month quasi-experimental, randomized treatment study examined the effects of an attributional retraining (AR) treatment on competitive athletes (N = 188) who differed in perceived stress (low, high). Simple slopes regression analyses revealed AR (vs. no-AR) promoted high-stress athletes’ perceived control, achievement emotions, and final grades. Perceived control and the emotions also mediated the relationship between AR and final grades. Results suggest AR may have practical benefits for athletic programs, administrators, coaches, and directors in facilitating student athletes’ academic performance.

Authors

• Patti C. Parker, University of Manitoba

• Jeremy M. Hamm, University of California - Irvine

• Raymond P. Perry, University of Manitoba

• Judy Chipperfield, University of Manitoba

• Steve Hladkyj, University of Manitoba

• Launa Leboe-McGowan, University of Manitoba